Page 17 of Vegas Baby!

Ava yawned. “Sleep? I was already exhausted before whatever the hell that heat was.”

We rearranged Ava to stretch out between us, a pillow wedged in her arms and another tucked between her knees,Jesse at her back, and me at her front. It took her no time at all to slip away, which left Jesse and me staring at each other over her.

I sensed a hint of stress from him too, but he had a much tighter lock on his emotions than I did.

“I have to go back to New York,” I said quietly. “I can’t stay here.”

Jesse pursed his lips. “You have first bond. You get to choose where we all go.”

“I only beat you by a minute for that. Ava should be the one to choose. I don’t feel comfortable forcing her to do anything.”

“That’s the right answer. I was worried I would still have to throw you over our balcony.”

I frowned. “Was that a test?”

“A little one. Had to check how archaic you are.”

“You could’ve just asked.”

Jesse shrugged, toying with a few strands of Ava’s hair. “You could’ve said anything. Better to check by handing you the power and see what you do with it. I’m not sold on New York, but I’m willing to go temporarily until the bond settles. If Ava wants to stay, I can be a paramedic there as easily as here, I would imagine. Luke and Micah…their jobs are probably fucked either way.”

“Why?”

“They’re both porn stars.”

I choked. “Are you serious?”

“Very. We have to figure out what’s happening with that so Ava doesn’t go feral if they want to keep working. She’s going to be territorial as hell with the new match settling in.”

“Her bond with us doesn’t free them up to do whatever they want?”

“A scent match doesn’t go away just because she gets bonded. They’re both my pack; they’re meant for her as much as I am.”

I stared down at the sleeping beauty between us. Her mouth was soft; blonde lashes fanned over her cheeks. Everything in me knew that she was mine.

“Would be nice if fate worked harder to find matches that at least live on the same coast.”

Jesse shrugged. “Distance doesn’t mean much if it’s who you’re meant to be with. You’d be surprised how many people come to tourist towns with the intention of getting access to as many people as possible to find their scent matches.”

“Is that why you came here?”

“Nah. Micah and I were born here. Luke is our only transplant, until you and Ava.”

My whole life was in New York. My home, my job, what little family I had remaining. I was up for promotion, and I was probably already jeopardizing that by skipping the first day of the conference. I should go tomorrow, but that would mean being apart from Ava.

“What’s going on in your head?” Jesse asked.

“Just thinking. There’s nothing for me here. Ava was already planning to move to New York.”

“We’ll see what she says about that tomorrow. I’ll stand between you and Luke when we tell them what happened or you’re gonna have a black eye to accompany you back to New York.”

“I appreciate that. What do you think we should do about Lawson? I’m surprised he hasn’t been blowing up her phone.”

“Oh, he has,” Jesse told me. “Luke took it so she wouldn’t see it. His messages have only gotten more unhinged.”

“If he weren’t the father of Ava’s baby, I would be tempted to push him off a skyscraper.”

“Legally he’s not,” Jesse pointed out.

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